Algorithm for handling of samples from suspected Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)

The algorithm for managing samples suspected of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) standardizes the procedures for the selection, collection, storage, and shipment of high-risk biological samples within national response systems. Its operational workflow ranges from the collection of whole blood samples with EDTA from symptomatic patients through the inactivation process in biosafety level 3 containment, which is necessary for subsequent molecular detection by RT-PCR.

The protocol establishes differentiated pathways based on a country’s installed capacity, taking into account the availability or lack thereof of BSL-3 infrastructure and molecular detection protocols for Ebola and differential diagnoses, and ensuring strict compliance with biosafety standards, the cold chain, and current regulations for the transport of Category A infectious substances. It also includes criteria for sending samples to the national reference laboratory and to the various PAHO/WHO reference centers, in accordance with the guidelines of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the WHO guidelines for the diagnosis of Ebola and Marburg virus diseases.